Turn plates, also called turntables, are known devices for allowing the wheels of a vehicle to be turned when the vehicle has been loaded onto a lift for aligning the wheels of the vehicle. Turntables are typically made to fit within the “saddle” of a conventional automotive lift, which typically has a U-shaped cross section. Disadvantageously, prior art turntables often scratch and damage the painted surfaces of the lift when they are positioned on the lift. Furthermore, different lift manufacturers make lifts having different saddle depths, which require turntables of correspondingly different overall heights to be compatible with these lifts.
Turntables typically have a top which is rotatable and translatable relative to a base, to accommodate vehicles of varying widths such that the vehicle wheel is centered on the turntable. Prior art turntables use locking pins to fix the turntable top to the base prior to loading the vehicle onto the turntable. These pins cause problems insofar as they are often difficult to access and remove during the subsequent alignment procedure, because the vehicle wheel is often located on the pins. Also, the pin can be damaged by the wheel if the wheel runs over the pin while the wheel is being loaded on the turntable.
There exists a need for a turntable that does not damage the surface of a lift, and whose height is adjustable to accommodate lifts of varying saddle depths. There also exists a need for a turntable that can be centered and locked in position prior to loading a vehicle wheel, and easily unlocked after the wheel is loaded onto the turntable.